Front Element Protection

Okay, I have all my gear, not cheap as we can all imagine.
The time will come soon where I do my thing; photographing burnouts and powerskids. I usually am particuarly close, sometimes even a couple of meters (yeah I know it's unsafe don't lecture me).

I'm a little concerned about the front element. Pressurised air is apparently enough to crack it, and I have no experience with cracking lenses. What is the best way to protect the element?

Would a standard UV lens be enough?

I'm hoping somebody has a thick (thicker than normal?) filter which doesn't affect the photo much or at all which can protect the lens from cracking, even though the chances of anything hard hitting are slim. I also intend to insure the equipment before I get to my next show.

Anything or Links would be appreciated.

Thanks for the help in advance.

A UV filter and hood would be enough for most situations... Anyways, I use this: http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …7_mm_Ultraviole​t_UV_.html

fubarhouse wrote in post #5973416
The time will come soon where I do my thing; photographing burnouts and powerskids. I usually am particuarly close, sometimes even a couple of meters (yeah I know it's unsafe don't lecture me).

I'm a little concerned about the front element. Pressurised air is apparently enough to crack it, and I have no experience with cracking lenses. What is the best way to protect the element?

Back in the late 1960s I used to photograph drag racing and would often be right at the edge of the track - down the track from the starting line - as fuel funny cars and dragsters would go right by me at full power.

I never had any problems with my equipment at all, and the pressure on my body was extreme from the exhaust of those cars going by less than twenty feet away from me with their exhaust pipes aimed right at me.

I have NEVER used any sort of filter for "protection", but I always use a rigid lens hood. The hood had absolutely no "protection" value from the air pressure, of course, but the air pressure I was experiencing can't possibly crack a lens either.

Thanks for the advice. I was thinking more the flying rubber particles and chunks, but they're either small or not that big but relativly soft and very hot. I wasn't saying that distance, I meant quite litterly a meter or two, sometimes the cars pass me with less than 300mm between me and my foot.

All good, I was really worried about how sensetive the element is, because everybody cautions about it and I'm not sure exactly how much it can handle. Thanks

fubarhouse wrote in post #5973416
I'm a little concerned about the front element. Pressurised air is apparently enough to crack it, and I have no experience with cracking lenses. What is the best way to protect the element?

Would a standard UV lens be enough?

The UV filter will likely crack way sooner then the front element would in this case.

fubarhouse wrote in post #5974198
Thanks for the advice. I was thinking more the flying rubber particles and chunks, but they're either small or not that big but relativly soft and very hot.

A filter will help to keep that stuff off the front element. Discarding a filter is easier then having a front element that's very hard to get clean. Bit more expensive though

A UV filter protects just fine when these trucks roost the other way and spray us.

Hoya appears to have introduced some extra hardened filters especially for your type of work.
http://www.thkphoto.co​m/products/hoya/HD-01.html